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Tuesday, February 28, 2006

Romney supports jailing doctors for five years even if the life of the mother hangs in the balance

The National Journal's Hotline blog reports that WH Press Secretary Scott McClellan says Pres. Bush would not support the bill unless it contained exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother. Of the potential '08 GOP candidates MA Gov. Mitt Romney has only commented through a press secretary.

Spokesperson Julie Teer: "If Governor Romney were the Governor of South Dakota he would sign it. The Governor believes that states should have the right to be pro-life if that is the will of the people."

So he is for sending Doctors to jail if they perform an abortion to save the life of the mother. Now, to be fair, this might be one of those cases where a calculating politician has a press secretary send up a trial balloon, or it might be flat out pandering to the lunatic right-wing fringe of the party. Either way, what a great way to kick off a campaign.

An Insight Into Delawareliberal's Thinking

I've been accused of painting ALL Republicans as corrupt and unfit to govern. So, I've been thinking, why do I think that Republicans are unethical and use the levers of government to pursue private ends and goals instead of the public good?

It turns out the reason I think that republicans are corrupt and unfit to govern is because nearly everyday I read a story about George Bush's ties to the UAE, or about Santorum's kickbacks from government vendors or about more run of the mill corruption like this:

Today, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) forwarded a complaint to the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, better known as the Ethics Committee, against Rep. Sam Johnson (R-TX) for using executive branch resources, namely the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), for partisan political purposes. The complaint alleges that Rep. Johnson asked the IRS to audit Texans for Public Justice (TPJ) as punishment for the organizationÂs role in sparking the Texas criminal investigation of Rep. Tom DeLay (R-TX).

I just happen to think that the IRS should not be used for partisan political purposes. If that makes me a CRAAAAZY liberal. So be it.

Monday, February 27, 2006

The Best of Delaware Grapevine/Early 2006 Edition

I’m not a big Delaware grapevine fan. I think Celia Cohen’s style of “inside baseball” reporting is a symptom of a distinctly Delawarean disease. I have previously discussed the disease called “onePartyopathy”.

The one party is “The Incumbent Party” and Celia Cohen is that party’s official groupie.

That said, she does have a great sense of the game and her one-liners are often on the money. So here is the best of Delaware Grapevine/early 2006 edition.

From Blue & Gold:

Terry Spence - Republican speaker – BLUE

He wants to win over voters with $250 for their electric bills. Oh, for the days it only took a half-pint of whiskey and a $5 bill.

John Still - Senate Republican minority leader – BLUE

He sends out postcards to try to find Senate candidates. Up next -- bloodhounds and milk cartons.

From "The Early Line”

U.S. House of Representatives, Democrats - Dennis Spivack - Wilmington lawyerHe earns the Democrats' gratitude for going where John Carney and Jack Markell fear to tread.

I think Dennis Spivack is great, but this last item is funny because it is true. Note to Jack: There is still time. You could win.

Calling Joe Biden...

Washington, DC – United States Senators Robert Menendez and Hillary Rodham Clinton, joined by Senators Frank R. Lautenberg, Barbara Boxer and Bill Nelson, today introduced legislation to ban companies owned by foreign governments from controlling operations at U.S. ports. The bill would block the pending sale of U.S. port operations to Dubai Ports World, a company owned by the government of the United Arab Emirates.

“In the post-9/11 world, we cannot afford to surrender our port operations to foreign governments,” Clinton said. “Port security is national security and national security is port security. Our legislation will stop foreign governments from managing, controlling, or owning U.S. port operations.”(snip)

"Common sense dictates that in this post-9/11 world, foreign countries should not run our ports or other infrastructure," said Boxer. "The fact that we have to fight for this wise policy is mind boggling."

The bill also requires the president to conduct a study on existing foreign government-owned companies operating in US ports, and make recommendations to the Congress on how to appropriately handle any resulting national security risks within 30 days after the law’s enactment.

Good question. The Governors are also meeting with Don Rumsfeld. Here is what I'd like Ruth Ann to ask Mr. Rumsfeld.

"Why did you throw out the Powell Doctrine when you took office?" If I had a follow up I would ask, "Don't you think that running through these questions posed by the Powell Doctrine would have been a good idea before attacking a random country in order to satisfy George Bush's vanity?

Is a vital national security interest threatened?Do we have a clear attainable objective?Have the risks and costs been fully and frankly analyzed?Have all other non-violent policy means been fully exhausted?Is there a plausible exit strategy to avoid endless entanglement?Have the consequences of our action been fully considered?Is the action supported by the American people?Do we have genuine broad international support?

Saturday, February 25, 2006

Bush is Now Kryptonite to "So-Called" Moderate Republicans

In this fun Hartford Courant story "Fake Moderate" Michael Castle tries to sound calm and relaxed about the fact that the jig is up trying to pretend that he does not support the radical right wing agenda of the Bush Adminstration.

And Democrats will hammer away at the Bush budget's potential human toll, as they remind voters that Shays, Simmons and other centrists are only "so-called moderates," as Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro, D-3rd District, put it.

Her accuracy depends on one's interpretation of the data. Simmons, Shays and Rep. Nancy L. Johnson, R-5th District, were among the top 11 House Republicans who opposed Bush most frequently last year, according to Congressional Quarterly's annual study.

But that still meant Simmons backed Bush on 65 percent of the 46 votes tallied by Congressional Quarterly in which the president took a position, while Shays supported Bush 57 percent of the time and Johnson voted with the president 59 percent of the time.

Castle, the House Republican from Delaware, shrugged off any concern that he has a political problem unique to 2006. "Moderate Republicans," he said, "always are in some difficult circumstance or another."

I know. I was thinking the same thing... The poor guy! Nobody understands how tough it is to back the President while pretending not to back him.

From a political perspective, President Bush's national security credentials have clearly been tarnished due to the outcry over this issue. For the first time ever, Americans have a slight preference for Democrats in Congress over the President on national security issues. Forty-three percent (43%) say they trust the Democrats more on this issue today while 41% prefer the President.

The generic ballot thing does not mean much alone, but it is clear that the UAE ports deal seems to have cleared up some things in the public mind.

1) Bush TALKS a great game when it comes to National Security but he has not been able to deliver.

2) Bush's loyalty to middle eastern royal familes trumps his loyalty to the Constitution.

As a country, we must not go down the road of global ethnic profiling

I think this is what Dana is trying to get at when he says the "Bush is right about the ports."

My point is simple: the world is drifting dangerously toward a widespread religious and sectarian cleavage — the likes of which we have not seen for a long, long time. The only country with the power to stem this toxic trend is America.

People across the world still look to our example of pluralism, which is like no other. If we go Dark Ages, if we go down the road of pitchfork-wielding xenophobes, then the whole world will go Dark Ages.

There is a poison loose today, and America — America at its best — is the only antidote. That's why it is critical that we stand by our principles of free trade and welcome the world to do business in our land, as long as there is no security threat. If we start exporting fear instead of hope, we are going to import everyone else's fears right back. That is not a world you want for your kids. - Thomas Friedman/NY Times

I agree, but I still believe I can object to the controll of US strategic assets by foriegn giovernments without being a "racists".

It is not "arabs" I am concerned about. Nor do I think that the UAE's ruling class is much of a threat. They are the level headed business men that Bush loves so much.

However, Bush has given the less level headed of the world many many reasons to hate and fear us. People who hate and fear us have decided to work out that hatred and fear of the United States through terrorism. These terrorists (like two of the 9/11 hijackers) are culled from places like the UAE's middle and professional class. These middle and professional class terrorists are the very people that will staff the Port of Newark's Dubai administrative operations. These people have access to detailed schedules, blue prints, and passwords.

Given all of that, prudence demands that the UAE ports deals gets significant scrutiny.

Bill To Prevent Republicans From Adopting

A Democratic state senator from Youngstown, Ohio, has a pretty good sense of humor, according to Knight Ridder

Ohio State Sen. Robert Hagan sent out e-mails to fellow lawmakers late Wednesday night, stating that he intends to "introduce legislation in the near future that would ban households with one or more Republican voters from adopting children or acting as foster parents." The e-mail ended with a request for co-sponsorship.

Hagan said his legislation was written in response to a bill introduced in the Ohio House this month by state Rep. Ron Hood, R-Ashville, that is aimed at prohibiting gay adoption. Sen. Hagan notes that it is simply TOO risky to allow Republicans to adopt children:

To further lampoon Hood's bill, Hagan wrote in his mock proposal that "credible research" shows that adopted children raised in Republican households are more at risk for developing "emotional problems, social stigmas, inflated egos, and alarming lack of tolerance for others they deem different than themselves and an air of overconfidence to mask their insecurities." - This has been a "Friday Morning Cut & Paste Production" Via a dday Kos Diary

Thursday, February 23, 2006

Cheer Up! "Mission Accomplished Day" is May 2nd

I don't know about you, but I am really looking forward this year's "Mission Accomplished Day" celebrations. I have my "Mission Accomplished Day" cake order in at my local bakery, and this May 2nd we'll be celebrating the third anniversary of our glorious defeat of Iraq and the resulting peace and prosperity by having some friends over and maybe letting the kids take a few whacks at a Saddam Hussein piñata.

How does your family celebrate "Mission Accomplished Day" ? Here is a suggestion. You could read thegood news from Iraq courtesy of GOP.com

Write in and let me know. As "Mission Accomplished Day" gets closer, I'm sure we will all have plenty of stories to share about how defeating Iraq three years ago was worth every penny.

Clear UAE Ties to Al Qaeda

For everybody who thinks it is "racists" to object to Dubai having access to our strategic assets, check this out:

RESPONSE TO TERROR; SUNDAY REPORT: Long Before Sept. 11, Bin Laden Aircraft Flew Under the Radar. Nov. 18, 2001 edition of the Los Angeles Times

For years, Persian Gulf state elites hunted rare birds of prey, houbara bustards, in the bleak hills surrounding Kandahar. In the late 1990s, according to former U.S. and Afghan officials, a number of prominent Persian Gulf state officials and businessmen flew into Kandahar on state and private jets for secret hunting expeditions.

For days at a time, the hunters would roam the hills, releasing falcons trained to catch the bustards. Some satisfied hunters heaped donations on their Taliban hosts, officials saidÂand on Al Qaeda leaders who occasionally joined them.

Among the reported visitors were high-ranking UAE and Saudi government ministers. According to U.S. and former Afghan civil air officials, the hunters included Prince Turki al Faisal, son of the late Saudi King Faisal. He headed that nationÂs intelligence service until late August, maintaining close ties with Bin Laden and the Taliban. Another visitor, officials said, was Sheik Mohammed ibn Rashid al Maktum, the Dubai crown prince and Emirates defense minister. Via This Modern World

Why anyone (Democrat, Republican or Patagonian) would believe ANYTHING that George Bush said, or would take at face value ANYTHING issued by the Bush White House is completly beyond me.

UPDATE: Bush accidentally makes sense: "This deal wouldn't go forward if we were concerned about the security for the United States of America." - Via Kos

- Three journalists working for Al-Arabiyah television were found shot dead after being attacked while filming in Samarra.

- Through White House spokesman Scott McClellan, U.S. President George W. Bush urged Iraqis to show restraint.

- "[U.S. President George W. Bush asks] all Iraqis to exercise restraint in the wake of this tragedy, and to pursue justice in accordance with the laws and constitution of Iraq," McClellan said. "Violence will only contribute to what the terrorists sought to achieve by this act."

UPDATE: From the CNN Home page ticker - Referring to debate over foreign operations of U.S. ports, President Bush says "people don't need to worry about security."

Who is calling the shots?

When you read this AP article substitute "Iran" for "United Arab Emirates" and ask yourself it it makes you a racists or a xenophobe to want to get to the bottom of this classic case of Bush breaking the law and misusing our government for his own purposes.

Documents Show Secret Deal on Ports Sale

By TED BRIDIS Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Under a secretive agreement with the Bush administration, a company in the United Arab Emirates promised to cooperate with U.S. investigations as a condition of its takeover of operations at six major American ports, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press.

The U.S. government chose not to impose other, routine restrictions.

In approving the $6.8 billion purchase, the administration chose not to require state-owned Dubai Ports World to keep copies of its business records on U.S. soil, where they would be subject to orders by American courts. It also did not require the company to designate an American citizen to accommodate requests by the government. (snip)

Wednesday, February 22, 2006

Another Republican Blasts Bush's UAE Port Deal

CHARLOTTE, N.C. Representative Sue Myrick is leaving no doubt about how she feels about the deal to sell six major U-S seaports to a state-owned business in the United Arab Emirates.In a one-sentence letter to President Bush, Myrick writes, "In regards to selling American ports to the United Arab Emirates, not just NO - but HELL NO!"

UPDATE: Dana seems to think that the fact that a bunch of red-necks are all riled up mean that this is all about racism. Let is be clear. This is not about an "Arab company". The following is from Eschaton:

...this is a company owned and controlled by the hereditary oligarchy of the UAE, many of whom, apparently, were Bin Laden's pals.

The Central Intelligence Agency did not target Al Qaeda chief Osama bin laden once as he had the royal family of the United Arab Emirates with him in Afghanistan, the agency's director, George Tenet, told the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks on the United States on Thursday.

Had the CIA targeted bin Laden, half the royal family would have been wiped out as well, he said.

Try This...

“Bush critics you can trust” vs "Bush Haters"

The Slate’s John Dickerson, offers up an early warning of an emerging narrative we’ll see more of as the mid-term elections near: Republican critics of Bush, who are increasing in number, are courageous rebels, while Democratic and liberal critics are “Bush haters.” - HT, BTC News

On Race and Terror

The Rude Pundit has grappled for the past few days with the issues of bigotry and racism related to the whole (UAE Ports) matter. And actually President Bush crystallized the whole thing yesterday for the Rude Pundit when Bush said, "I want those who are questioning it to step up and explain why all of a sudden a Middle Eastern company is held to a different standard than a Great British [sic] company."

Now let's see if we can follow the bouncing ball of Bush's foreign policy: after 9/11, after bombing Afghanistan back to the stonier age, Bush pressed on with a predetermined plan to take over Iraq - sorry, to "get Saddam Hussein out of power"- and in doing so, conflated Iraq and al-Qaeda into one f'ed-up miasma of brownish people who smell of chick peas.

With the initial overthrow of Saddam complete, the Bush administration labeled anyone who would dare fight against the invaders as "terrorists," which included an assortment of homegrown insurgents, jihadists, and pissed off people, some of whom came from other countries in the region. We are assured, on a nauseatingly regular basis, that we are in a "war on terror," that we have threats coming from everywhere, that terrorists are out to get us, so live in fear, b*tches, live in fear. And, we're told, that al-Qaeda is just achin' with a giant xxxx-on to attack the U.S. again. In other words, the whole modus operandi of the U.S. government foreign policy has been to demonize, isolate, and condemn the darker Others of the Middle East and North Africa.

And anyone should be surprised that people'd be pissed off about the ports deal? Now Bush wants us all to separate out the UAE from Iraq and Iran. Good f*ckin' luck with that.

From his comments in today's News Journal, Castle seems to support a bill which will delay the UAE port deal in order to investigate the security implications of handing over port operations to a country which funded and supported the 9/11 hijackers and the Taliban.

Meanwhile, the Delaware wingnut-o-sphere speaks, "King George can do no wrong!"

"...the security will still be under Homeland security at the Container Ports....The UAE is really not buying anything in our ports....Blame Bush for that if you want to, but this deal with the UAE has no real significance either way. It's a big deal about nothing!"

In short, "Nothing to see here folks!. Move along, move along". I don't know about you, but when the RNC is saying something is "no big deal", my first reaction is NOT "Okay, I feel better."

Ryan at JTTR goes a bit further. He sees secret beneficial reasons for turning over port operations to a country that supports terrorists. These reasons are not meant for mortals like us to understand, but King George has special mystical insights, so trust him. "Second, there must be a reason for this. The UAE must have something we want, and I believe it is connected to the War on Terror. This may be a bad political move by the President in terms of popular support, but there may be some deeper policy at work here.

He is right. The "deeper policy" is the White House policy of ignoring real threats in favor of allowing some Bush cronies to jam US currency in their Swiss bank accounts.

UPDATE: The brain trust at Rhodey also holds the view that King George has secret powers that should not concern mere mortals: "Moreover, the UAE company might actually bring added value to the table; it's possible that an Arab company would have special knowledge about securing ports against Islamic terrorists."

I thought that conservatives were supposed to have a built in distrust of government. Silly me.

Tuesday, February 21, 2006

UAE Deal Shows That Nothing Rises Above Politics For WingNuts

If you don't believe me, check out this gem from an otherwise sane Delathought posted on JTTR,

"The only question I have is: Why not wait until November to do this deal, after the elections, when disingenuous people will not be trying to score points?" Emphasis mine.

I think that compromising our port security is a national issue, not a Republican or Democratic issue. To the right wing this is no big deal. I wonder if they would be so relaxed about it if it was Bill Clinton's treasury department that inked this deal?

The UAE is a country with REAL ties to terrorists, but did we invade them?

No, the Bush adminstration had a better idea. Instead of invading them, we outsourced the operation of six of the nation's largest ports (New York, New Jersey, Baltimore, New Orleans, Miami and Philadelphia) to them. Maybe it is me, but I don't feel safer with BushCo calling the shots.

UPDATE III: Nothing rises above politics for the right-wing. Check out this comment from an otherwise sane Delathought posted on JTTR, "The only question I have is: Why not wait until November to do this deal, after the elections, when disingenuous people will not be trying to score points?"

Delathought provides a number of the puzzle pieces in this post, and an anon poster fits them into place.

"... it strikes me that Castle's non-moderate budget and tax votes are very likely the result of a deal - i.e, the price he has to pay for being granted permission to (ineffectually) take moderate positions on other issues less important to GOP leadership.

GOP leadership is highly motivated to play along with Castle's occasional "moderate" votes, because that's how Castle keeps his seat in a blue state. Without the occasional covering "moderate" vote, Castle's seat would surely be filled by a Democrat.

What is the Difference Between American Conservatives and English Conservatives?

The Bush administration on Thursday conceded that key sectors of the Iraqi economy had fallen below pre-war levels because of the insurgency, but insisted it was making enough progress on the political and security fronts to press ahead with reductions in US forces.

Condoleezza Rice, the secretary of state, told the Senate budget committee that production of crude oil and electricity was down from three years ago. Attacks had also hit oil exports.

According to latest statistics – which Ms Rice did not mention – crude oil production this month is running at 1.7m barrels a day, down from a post-invasion peak of 2.5m in September 2004 that was close to prewar levels.

Ms Rice initially asserted that “many more Iraqis” were now getting potable water and sewerage services. However, under intense questioning from Kent Conrad, a North Dakota Democrat, she conceded that although “capacity” had increased, fewer Iraqis were actually receiving those services.

Thursday, February 16, 2006

Fake Moderate Michael Castle Sticks With Bush...

Government funding is not the solution to all needs, but the budget process is a road map for how leaders plan to navigate our country's challenges and opportunities. The economic security of every family in this country is a moral opportunity and challenge. But our investment to strengthen families' opportunities - and hope - is being sacrificed for luxuries for a few.

The National Catholic Report (not exactly a bunch of lefties) also blasts the Bush budget.

If budgets are, as some contend and we would agree, moral documents, then this one suggests we have abandoned a basic sense of right and wrong and any notion that we are at our best when we strive to make life better for all, not just those who manage to accumulate wealth.

Wednesday, February 15, 2006

If You Love America - Don't Buy Middle East Oil

Want an easy way to help America's poor stay warm AND stick it to Al Qaida this winter? Buy Citgo gasoline.

Of the top oil producing countries in the world, only one is a democracy. Only one has a president who was elected on a platform of using his nation's oil revenue to benefit the poor. Only one keeps your gas money in this hemisphere. That country is Venezuela.

The money you pay to Citgo goes primarily to Venezuela - not to Al Qaida by way of Saudi Arabia.

"Citgo is not just another oil company," says Citgo CEO Felix Rodriguez. "With Venezuela's state oil company, of which we are a subsidiary, we share a broad social mission." So buy Citgo gasoline and support democracy in South America. - Via True Majority

Cheney’s response a concern to GOP

Vice president urged to make public statement on shooting

Vice President Cheney's slow and unapologetic public response to the accidental shooting of a 78-year-old Texas lawyer is turning the quail-hunting mishap into a political liability for the Bush administration and is prompting senior White House officials to press Cheney to publicly address the issue as early as today, several prominent Republicans said yesterday.

The Republicans said Cheney should have immediately disclosed the shooting Saturday...

NOTE OF CLARIFICATION: For the record, I hope the guy does not die. However, I also I hope that this press coverage does not discourage loathsome old Republicans from shooting other loathsome old Republicans in the face. When it comes to Republicans randomly shooting shot guns off in the vicinity of other Republicans, I am for it.

RIGHT'S FAVORITE SKANKY HO IN THE NEWS

Ballot botch: Coulter votes in wrong precinct

By Jose Lambiet

Palm Beach Post ColumnistWednesday, February 15, 2006

She may be smart enough to earn millions from her acidic political barbs, but when it comes to something as simple as voting in her tiny hometown, hard-core conservative pundit Ann Coulter is a tad confused.Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections records show Coulter voted last week in Palm Beach's council election. Problem is: She cast her ballot in a precinct 4 miles north of the precinct where she owns a home — and that could be a big no-no.

Coulter, who owns a $1.8 million crib on Seabreeze Avenue, should have voted in Precinct 1198. It covers most homes on her street. Instead, records show, she voted in Precinct 1196, at the northern tip of the island.

A fave on the college speaking circuit and the occasional target of cream-pies-to-the-face, Coulter registered as a Republican (no kidding!) with the supervisor's office June 24. That's three months after she bought the home and moved to Palm Beach from Manhattan.

Here's the sticky part for The Right's Lady Macbeth: She wrote down an Indian Road address instead of Seabreeze on her voter's registration application. And she signed to certify the information as true.

"She never lived here," said Suzanne Frisbie, owner of the Indian Road home. "I'm Ann's Realtor, and she used this address to forward mail when she moved from New York."

Florida statutes make it a third-degree felony to vote knowingly in the wrong precinct. Lying on a voter's registration can cost up to $5,000 and five years behind bars.

A Spivack/Berg Primary Would Be Good For the Party

The notion that primaries are bad is something akin to gospel in the Delaware Democratic Party.

Kos takes on this sacred cow in a post about Hacket/Brown in Ohio, and (surprise) I agree with him 100%.

(In the 2004 election cycle) competitive Republican primaries in Oklahoma, Alaska, South Carolina, and Florida allowed those Republicans to use the momentum boost and media coverage to eventually win their seats. Democrats cleared their primary fields up and down the map for all the good it did (absolutely none).

This obsession with clearing fields really is counterproductive, generating a great deal of hostility and ill-will. And really, what better place to work on message and build the campaign machinery than in a primary? The primary election, at worse, becomes a test run to make sure the machine is firing on all cylinders. And the money used on media and whatnot during a primary is not wasted money -- it's a way to build up early name recognition to the electorate. It worked wonders for Republicans in 2004.

Now, insurgent candidates don't have a god-given right to respect or support. But if they want to run, then the party should stay the frack out of it. There is no legitimate justification for the price the party pays in meddling in such affairs.

Democratic Wave Building

Rothenberg is not an oracle, but he has a track record and the lazy, overfed DC press corps listens to him. So when he says:

Republicans should face the reality that (a wave) will only break one way - toward the Democrats. GOP leaders in Washington are trying to point out the "hypocrisy" of the Democratic attacks on ethics and corruption, but recent history shows that if a wave develops, it will disproportionately hurt one party over the other.

Not only are Republicans likely to lose seats this November, but their chances of defeating a Democratic incumbent or taking over a Democratic open seat are minimal.

..and...

...the bottom line is that Republicans should not depend on off-setting losses in Pennsylvania, Ohio, or Montana with wins elsewhere. Over the last 25 years, when the wave hits, only one party drowns.

...it sets the tone. The DC conventional wisdom firms up around the idea that the Democrats are going to win, so the Democrats end up winning the candidate recruitment and fundraising races.

Democrat Donna Howard has won election to the Texas House yesterday to serve the remainder of Republican Todd Baxter's term. Baxter resigned November 1 to became a lobbyist for the Texas Cable and Telecommunications Association. (SHOCKING!)

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

Presidential Swing Voters

Here is a thought experiment for you.

What if the true swing voters are not moderate at all? What if they have no real political thoughts and are neither for nor against anything? They can’t be moderate because that would mean having an opinion on events and policies. What if the 10% that crosses back and forth between voting for Republicans and Democrats does so ONLY based on the brand identity of the candidate? They vote for the guy they “like” - as in the phrase “I don’t know, I just like the guy.”

I think Howard Dean could have picked up that 10%, but that is water under the bridge. Who among the current Democrats has the best chance of picking up that 10%? Who has the “I just like the guy” vote right now?

Note: This is not the "He can win" argument. The "he can win" argument gave us Kerry. This is the "he kicks ass" argument.

Grapevine Calls Out Dishonest, Larcenous Delaware GOP

In a story about how happy the Delaware GOP was to jump on Joe Biden's staff for editing his wikipedia entry, Celia Cohen lets us know a little bit about the character of the finger pointers.

For some time now, the Republicans have been helping themselves to stories from Delaware Grapevine. They do not offer compensation. They do not ask permission.

They simply engage in copy-cribbing.

This time the Republicans did even more. In addition to the copy-cribbing, they corrupted the story. They edited out a reference to a Republican legislator whose wife holds a state job. They deleted any mention of the Republican connections of a worker who was fired from the economic development office.

I Need a New Conservative Blog

With the demise of Delathought, (sniff...) I need a new "go to" Delaware conservative blog.

I like Ryan trying to stick with his conservative principles at JTTR, but as today's bumper sticker post show, he slips into the Malkin/Instapundit thoughtless hatefest that is so rampant in the wingnutosphere.

I'd link to rhodey, but Hube's non-stop "I'm not defending them but..." defense of the Bush administration is tiresome. Plus they banned me...so.

Paul Smith Jr....what's up with him? and "blogolution"...does not post very frequently, and when they do it is mostly zingers - noteworthy for their lack of zing.

I guess what I'm looking for is a kind of right-wing version of Delawareliberal. Any suggestions?

Monday, February 13, 2006

My Question for Mr. Berg

Tonight Marian Peleski and Ellen Lebowitz will interview Michael Berg, the Green Party of Delawares candidate for the US House of Representatives on the Progressive Voices program. I sent this email to Dana, but it is my question to all Green Party people everywhere.

Mr. Berg,

Thank you for taking up the fight against George Bush's unspeakably terrible, reckless, and unethical government by running against Michael Castle. Mr. Castle is a cog in a machine that seems dedicated to wrecking this country. I am absolutely convinced that citizen activism, like yours, is the only way to pull this country out of the death spiral that George Bush's policies have initiated.

However, why have you chosen to fight against Bush under the Green Party banner instead of the helping reform the Democratic Party through a primary? The Democratic party is all of the terrible things that the Green Party claims it is, but it is also reformable. With the Democratic Party's infrastructure, a reformed Democratic party that adheres to core principles of peace and economic and social justice would seem to be a much more potent force to fight against George Bush than the Green Party could ever hope to be.

We are all "Liberals" now. Welcome to Liberaltown Bruce Bartlett.

The quote above is from Glenn Greenwald who, very elegantly and powerfully, discusses the rise of the cult of Authority within the GOP. In his own way Ryan at Jokers to the Right covers some of the same territory. As if on cue, the New York Times runs this today:

What happens if you're a Republican commentator and you write a book critical of President Bush that gets you fired from your job at a conservative think tank?

For starters, no other conservative institution rushes in with an offer for your analytical skills."Nobody will touch me," said Bruce Bartlett, author of the forthcoming "Impostor: Why George W. Bush Bankrupted America and Betrayed the Reagan Legacy." "I think I'm just kind of radioactive at the moment." . . .

Mr. Bartlett, a domestic policy aide at the White House in the Reagan administration and a deputy assistant treasury secretary under the first President Bush, talked last week at his suburban Washington home about his dismissal, his book and a growing disquiet among conservatives about Mr. Bush. . . .

He is unhappy, too, with the president's education and campaign finance bills and his proposal to overhaul the nation's immigration laws, which many Republicans call a dressed-up amnesty plan. The book, to be published by Doubleday on Feb. 28, also criticizes the White House for "an anti-intellectual distrust of facts and analysis" and an obsession with secrecy.

"I haven't switched to the Democratic Party," he said. "I wrote this for Republicans."

The article details how Bartlett, after being fired, has been shunned by conservatives for his blasphemy in criticizing George Bush on the ground that Bush has governed contrary to conservative principles.

Cheney Hunts the Ultimate Prey !

I always knew that those hunts where rich guys pay $250,000 and some homeless guy gets a 20 minute head start on them were real.

Leave it to Cheney to blow it for everyone by shooting the wrong dude.

UPDATE: Anyone notice that the Cheney camp is trying to blame the guy who got shot? Class act, that Cheney. Here is what happened.

"Now, if you read the description provided by Katharine Armstrong, the Bush-Cheney fundraiser on whose 'ranch' this happened, what she seems to describe is this: The birds 'flush'. Cheney picks out a bird and starts following it. In the process he basically wheels around doing a 180. So he's spun around and is now firing backwards relative to the direction he had been facing. And Whittington was just, for whatever reason, where Cheney didn't expect him to be.

First, needless to say, hunting accidents happen. That said, one point that comes through really clearly from everyone is that when you're hunting and you hit a person -- that's your fault. Period. End of story. - VIA TPM

Friday, February 10, 2006

VA Nurse Investigated for “Sedition” for Criticizing Bush

Laura Berg is a clinical nurse specialist at the VA Medical Center in Albuquerque, where she has worked for 15 years.Shortly after Katrina, she wrote a letter to the editor of the weekly paper the Alibi criticizing the Bush Administration.After the paper published the letter in its September 15-21 issue, VA administrators seized her computer, alleged that she had written the letter on that computer, and accused her of “sedition.”

Here’s what her letter said.

“I am furious with the tragically misplaced priorities and criminal negligence of this government,” it began. “The Katrina tragedy in the U.S. shows that the emperor has no clothes!” She mentioned that she was “a VA nurse” working with returning vets. “The public has no sense of the additional devastating human and financial costs of post-traumatic stress disorder,” she wrote, and she worried about the hundreds of thousands of additional cases that might result from Katrina and the Iraq War.

“Bush, Cheney, Chertoff, Brown, and Rice should be tried for criminal negligence,” she wrote. “This country needs to get out of Iraq now and return to our original vision and priorities of caring for land and people and resources rather than killing for oil. . . . We need to wake up and get real here, and act forcefully to remove a government administration playing games of smoke and mirrors and vicious deceit."

Her employer, the United States of George Bush, did not like that.

After her computer was seized, Berg wrote a memo to her bosses seeking information and an explanation. Mel Hooker, chief of the human resources management service at the Albuquerque VA, wrote Berg back on November 9 and acknowledged that “your personal computer files did not contain the editorial letter written to the editor of the weekly Alibi.”

But rather than apologize, he leveled the sedition charge: “The Agency is bound by law to investigate and pursue any act which potentially represents sedition.”

Seditionrefers to a legal designation of non-overt conduct that is deemed by a legal authority as being acts of treason, and hence deserving of legal punishment.

ASK DR. LIBERAL FRIDAY

The Doctor is in.

Dear Dr. Liberal,

Please help. I love my four year old daughter but I think she is turning Republican. When I told her to finish her green beans, she asked, "Why should I?"

I was taken aback momentarily, but being a good liberal, I decided to use reason with her rather than smack her. So I said, "Green beans contain vitamins and minerals that your body uses to grow." She said that green beans helping you grow was just a "theory", and that I should allow other theories into the debate. I asked, "what other theories?" and she said, "the green beans are poison theory for one." I think she has been watching Tucker Carlson or something because she added, "In the end, we simply don't know about green beans, so why should I accept your theory?"

Wednesday, February 08, 2006

Democrats On The Move! Big Special Election Win in Missouri

Kos covers the incredible Democratic performance in yesterday's special elections in Missouri.

...in three heavily Republican districts, Dems retained a state house seat, picked up another, and came within a sliver of winning the last.

In the 132nd, Democrats picked up a seat in a district that Bush carried with 71 percent of the vote in 2004. It is the fourth most conservative district in the entire state house, it's part of DeLay's chief lieutenant Rep. Roy Blunt's district, yet the Dem garnered 56 percent of the vote. From the Democratic Party's press release:

"In a stunning victory, Charlie Dake won one of the most conservative districts in rural Southwest Missouri, the 132nd in Lawrence County. To put things in perspective, John Kerry only received 28.5% of the vote in 2004, and Matt Blunt got OVER 71%. This district is right in Matt Blunt's backyard, and it just goes to show that the people that know Matt Blunt the most, voted for the Republicans the least."

Matt Blunt is Roy Blunt's son, and he edged out McCaskill in the 2004 governor's race precisely because of big margins in districts like this one. The results from this district are nothing short of catastrophic for the Missouri GOP.

This is turning out to be the best news day since Clinton beat GHW Bush.

Bushspeak Definitions

Faith Based Initiative: A federal program that encourages anyone claiming to work for God to belly up to the government tit and suck away with no questions asked. See also, Republican sponsored waste, fraud, and corruption.

I'D LIKE TO SEE YOU SPIN THIS !!!

Reading the news today is giving me the happy feeling that Bush's house of cards is about to collapse.

Ex-naval head seeks to be Democratic nominee for Senate

BY TYLER WHITLEYTIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITERFeb 8, 2006

Former Navy Secretary James H. Webb Jr. said yesterday that he will file papers this week to seek the Democratic nomination to run for the U.S. Senate this year.

Webb, who lives in Arlington County, would join Harris N. Miller, a Fairfax County computer executive, in seeking the party's nomination.

The nominee will oppose U.S. Sen. George Allen, a Republican who is seeking a second six-year term in the Senate. Allen is a strong favorite.

Webb, who was secretary of the Navy under Republican President Ronald Reagan, resigned in protest of cutbacks in the Navy fleet. He has been a strong critic of the war in Iraq, saying that the Bush administration has never developed an exit strategy.

Webb is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and served in the Marines in the Vietnam War.

That is one more election this year that is going to be a referendum on Bush . The more the better.

A Very Interesting Dynamic

Please keep in mind that some conservatives are STILL basically libertarian in that they don't want the government getting too much power. Now read this:

WASHINGTON, Feb. 7  A House Republican whose subcommittee oversees the National Security Agency broke ranks with the White House on Tuesday and called for a full Congressional inquiry into the Bush administration's domestic eavesdropping program.

The lawmaker, Representative Heather A. Wilson of New Mexico, chairwoman of the House Intelligence Subcommittee on Technical and Tactical Intelligence, said in an interview that she had "serious concerns" about the surveillance program. By withholding information about its operations from many lawmakers, she said, the administration has deepened her apprehension about whom the agency is monitoring and why.

Here is the thing. Heather A. Wilson is a Bush zombie. So how could this happen? Here is my theory.

A Culture of Lying

It comes down to this. Republicans think it is okay to lie if it advances the agenda of the RNC. We have plenty of big examples like Michael Castle who claims to be moderate in spite of the evidence in his voting record, and we have plenty of small examples, like this:

A Young Bush Appointee Resigns His Post at NASA

By ANDREW C. REVKIN

George C. Deutsch, the young presidential appointee at NASA who told public affairs workers to limit reporters' access to a top climate scientist and told a Web designer to add the word "theory" at every mention of the Big Bang, resigned yesterday, agency officials said.

Mr. Deutsch's resignation came on the same day that officials at Texas A&M University confirmed that he did not graduate from there, as his résumé on file at the agency asserted. - Via the New York Times

By the way - I know Lyndon Johnson lied about Viet Nam war and I know Clinton lied about his sex life. No need to remind me. I'm not saying no democrats ever lied. I'm saying that lying is now an integral part of what it means to be a republican.

Discontent with Fake Moderate Michael Castle Builds

From today's News Journal.

Castle's vote on budget bill betrays moderate reputation

Delaware voters have a tradition of splitting their tickets. Their votes for U.S. Rep. Michael Castle as well as Democratic leaders is typical. The rationale voters give for sending Castle to Congress is that he is a moderate Republican. But is he truly a moderate?

On Feb. 1, the House of Representatives passed a reconciliation budget bill that makes Draconian cuts in Medicaid and student loans, among other things. The bill passed by two votes, one of which was from Castle. If he had voted against the bill, it would have been returned to conference between the House and Senate for additional deliberations.

The reconciliation bill, passed with Castle's support, has been accurately characterized as "reverse Robin Hood" -- taking from the poor to give to the rich.

Castle replied that student loans were a big problem, a rationalization on his part because they do not break the bank. Huge deficits are caused by an unbalanced budget.

Thirteen Republicans from across the country voted against the budget bill. They are the true moderates, not Castle.

Watch Castle's vote on making tax cuts permanent. True conservatives believe in spending within one's means. When an elected official votes for tax cuts when the country has to finance a war and rebuild a major city, that is profligate spending.

The question is: Are Delaware voters well represented by Castle, or are they being shortchanged?

If I hear one more Democrat say, "Democrats don't have a clear message." I'm going to scream.

For another thing the Democratic party has always been the party of opportunity and prosperity for all Americans, strong communities, healthy families, and great schools. Democrats believe in investing in the future and being a country that leads the world by example.

I need to go through the beginning of this News Journal story line by line so that everyone can get a grasp of how impotent Castle is.

WASHINGTON – Ending months of speculation, Delaware Rep. Mike Castle announced Monday that he would not seek to become chairman of the House education committee. “The bottom line is I wouldn’t make it,”

Okay, so far so good. He did not have the votes. Then Jennifer Brooks chimes in with this lie that is so widespread that it a part of Delaware lore.

…said Castle, a moderate (sic) with a long track record of bucking House leadership on controversial issues (sic).

That is your “liberal” media for you. C’mon Jennifer, don’t parrot what Castle’s staff tells you about him. Check the votes. He only “bucks” the leadership when the question has been settled. When his vote matters he goes with the party line. Do some research. Get thee to a computer.

Anyway, here comes the good part where Castle attempts to disguise his impotence is as character.

”Let’s face it, once you have a committee, you have to totally support the leadership in anything. And that’s never been one of my interests.”

Oh the rank duplicity! First of all of this “you have to totally support the leadership in anything” is complete bullshit on its face. If Castle had the VOTES he would be the chair. Secondly, “And that’s never been one of my interests” should read: “And that’s never been one of my interests…unless the vote is close.”

It is not surprising that Jennifer Brooks would help Castle out in spreading this lie, real reporting is tough. You have to look things (like votes) up, and you have to remember to say, "Really!?" when you think congressional staffers are lying to you. However it is surprising that Castle would lie so openly and so brazenly in an election year.

Monday, February 06, 2006

Why bother with checks and balances?

Conservatives are sure that Bush would never use his newly minted commander-in-chief powers for evil, and that he is pure and good. Maybe they are right. Maybe he is a good and pure person. I have not seen any evidence of that, but I'll play along. I'll imagine that these questions are moot:

Yes or no, is the President using this program to spy on his political enemies?

Yes or no, is the President using this program to spy on the communications of groups critical of White House policy?

Now then, assuming that Bush is as good and pure as Jesus, wouldn't it STILL make sense to ask Alberto Gonzales this question:

" You state that "we are at war" and the President is exercising his wartime powers. Do you interpret the AUMF to be a formal declaration of war by Congress? If not, do you believe the President has the authority to unilaterally declare us to be at war?

NEW FEATURE: Ask Dr. Liberal

Here is a question from a reader.

Dear Dr. Liberal, You know that song, "Big Old Jet Airliner" by the Steve Miller Band? It came on when I was in the car driving with my young children, and we were enjoying it, you know...grooving. Then the line "all that funky shit going down in the city" came around and I SHOCKED! SHOCKED I tell you. They changed it to, "all that funny stuff going down in the city". I told my sons that the song should have said, "funky shit" NOT "funny stuff". Should I write an angry letter to the radio station?

Signed, What the freak?

Thanks for the question freak, it is a good one. Dr. Liberal will operate on it in the comments below.

Thursday, February 02, 2006

The Cartoon Rumsfeld Wants To Censor

Conservative apologists for this failed administration want you to believe that this Washington Post cartoon is an instance of "the liberal media not supporting the troops". Others say that Rumsfeld is clearly the object of ridicule and the cartoonist is being critical of the way the war is being mismanaged.

To figure out who is correct you have to ask yourself, "Would the right-wing be so mendacious as to hide behind the "you don't support the troops" straw man just to cover-up BushCo's lying and incompetent execution of this war ?" Hmmm...?

UPDATE: Mike M. at Down With Absolutes blogs about another cartoon that has people riled up. This time it is religious fanatics who feel that some cartoons published in Danish newspapers merit a violent response. But how far are we away from them? How far is the trip from the joint chiefs denouncing a cartoon to what Mike describes? Not very far I'm afraid.

The Best SOTU Response So Far

Pre-1776 Mentality

by Senator Russ Feingold

I've seen some strange things in my life, but I cannot describe the feeling I had, sitting on the House floor during Tuesday's State of the Union speech, listening to the President assert that his executive power is, basically, absolute, and watching several members of Congress stand up and cheer him on. It was surreal and disrespectful to our system of government and to the oath that as elected officials we have all sworn to uphold. Cheering? Clapping? Applause? All for violating the law?

The President and his administration continue their spin and media blitz in attempts to defend the fact that they broke, and continue to break, the law. Their weak and shifting justifications for doing so continue. The latest from the President seems to be that basically the FISA law, passed in 1978, is out of date. His decision that he can apparently disregard "old law" fits the pattern with the President and his administration. He's decided to disregard a statute (FISA) and the Constitution (the 4th Amendment) by continuing to wiretap Americans' phone calls and emails without the required warrant, while at the same time claiming powers of the presidency that do not exist. (Perhaps he feels the Constitution is too "old," as well.) This administration reacts to any questions about spying on American citizens by saying that those of us who stand up for our rights and freedoms are somehow living in a "pre-September 11th, 2001 world."

Fake Moderate Michael Castle Carries Water for BushCo Again

Castle voted to shaft the middle class again and this time they were sneaky about it. It was not in the middle of the night, but the post 5:00pm vote that it was too late to hit the morning papers and by Friday it will be old news.

ALL the Dems, 13 Republicans and the 1 Independent voted against this monstrosity. It passed 216 - 214, so this vote to cut programs like student financial aid in favor of tax cuts for the rich is going to be "Exhibit A" in the trial of Michael Castle.

UPDATE 8:15 amThis unmitigated disaster not only cuts essential programs, it calls for $106 billion in tax cuts over the next five years – with up to $70 billion of these cuts protected under fast-track reconciliation procedures. Despite it's name it will produce a net increase in the deficit. (This should be called the "Chinese Banker's Lifetime Employment Act")

Wednesday, February 01, 2006

The new SOTU dress code

Okay, call me old school but where do these two get off wearing T-shirts to The State of The Union address anyway? What ever happened to decorum? Here is the SOTU dress code for future reference: Ladies in dresses or suits and Gentlemen in jackets and ties.

The wife of Rep. C.W. Bill Young said she was ejected during President Bush's State of the Union address for wearing a T-shirt that said, "Support the Troops Defending Our Freedom," a newspaper reported Wednesday.

Sheehan arrested in House galleryWASHINGTON (CNN) -- Peace activist Cindy Sheehan was arrested Tuesday in the House gallery after refusing to cover up a T-shirt bearing an anti-war slogan before President Bush's State of the Union address. The T-shirt said, "2,245 Dead. How many more?" -- a reference to the number of U.S. troops killed in Iraq. - Via DanNation

Would you go to the wall for this Shmoop ?

Nobody said that defending free speech was going to be a walk in the park.

I've read some of Donegan's stuff and I have to agree with Dana at Delawarewatch who writes, "Although I don’t find Donegan’s humor particularly tasteful, a careful reading of the site, as well as myspace.com in general, indicates that the site is a virtual meeting place for young adults to correspond and flirt with one another principally through wit and humor....I know that I am in no position to judge a 24-year-old young man for the rash comments he might make during his off-hours. And that phrase “off-hours” is critically important because that is what Donegan’s site is about: his off-hours speech, not his speech as a writer for the Dover Post.